Saturday, December 1, 2012

December Theme: The Street Where You Live


When I saw this, I thought of artist Paul Klee. 
I see things like this all around me, in the streets of Speedway,
yet where I live is pretty bland when looked at overall.
When I started this little blog, a part of my intent
was to show the small beauties that occur amid the plain
surroundings, to show what one can see 
if they walked the neighborhood instead of taking their car. 


This is the neighborhood just a half block down from where I live.
As most of us understand in the abstract, even while everything looks
innocuous, there is no telling the dramas that take place
within the tidy brick walls of the people either side of us.
It's the stuff of headlines we read every day:
"He seemed like such a nice man!"
"He never lost his temper!"
"She was always so helpful!"

Today is Theme Day on the City Daily Photo portal.
To see other members' interpretations of the theme, just
click on the CDP link at the top right column of this page.


12 comments:

dive said...

Your street has a pepperpot built in to it? Amazing!
The details you pick up are so intriguing, yet the street scene in the second photo looks scary and Stepford-like to an Englishman. Homogeneity and blank green lawns freak us out on this side of the Pond.

Zyzzyz said...

Is that a manhole cover? - my street is here.

Hull and Hereabouts said...

I was wondering when someone would post that video. Interesting post.

Tanya Breese said...

you know, things that we think are just so average and not interesting, are in fact interesting to those who don't live there. i love seeing the view of your street, and others, no matter how normal they look! it's pretty neat to me!

Birdman said...

I had to stop and comment on this one. Simple. Beauty!

Jo said...

nice neat street.
I am enjoying seeing all these streets..

tapirgal said...

Great post! I also like taking pix of pavement details :-)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this interesting impression of your environment. Please have a good new month ahead.

daily athens photo

Buck said...

Well, your 'normal' neighbourhood looks different than my 'normal' I'm glad you shared it!

raf said...

Like your interpretation of the theme and how you see things in general!

Speedway said...

Thanks, everyone for taking the time to visit.

Dive, it does look like the top of a pepper shaker! The steel studs are poking through the asphalt, of course. I see things like that everywhere. That they remind me of various artists' work is porbably due to my keeping my nose buried in art journals when I'm not reading history books.

It isn't a manhole cover, Inverness, but a cover for a water line, about 10 inches in diameter.

Mr. Braquemard, the song was the first thing that crossed my mind when I knew the topic. So obvious to my thick mind, I couldn't resist.

Hi, Tanya. Other than for the older sections of the Indianapolis metro area, we have entirely too many of these look-alike houses. They are neat and tidy, but mostly devoid of individuality. It's scary. There are a lot of nice people living in the homes, many of which have grown to accommodate families. If you look at them, they do have a common footprint, based on plans offered by the original developer in the mid-60s.

Thank you, Birdman. I like your pictures, too!

As an incorporated town, Speedway has its own administration with a town manager, who can be fired by the town board if he's not doing his job. Overall, the town uses its funds well, putting it back into community maintenance and improvements. It also has an independent school system.

Thanks, Tapirgal. I like taking pictures of pavement details to the point that it's become too easy. I tell Dive that the images leap out at me. I need to create add'l challenges.

Thank you Robert, for your kind wishes.

Buck, you neighborhood looks very much like older neighborhoods my my town, too. These house are about 50 years old, while the oldest ones, about a mile away, were constructed around 1925, when the town was incorporated. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built in 1909, and the town grew up around it.

Thank you, Raf, for the compliments. I'd like to develop my skills to match yours, as well as those of everyone else who has posted here. It will be a challenge.

Unknown said...

Yes, I too love the little details, those that you would never notice if you weren't walking about... and I enjoy seeing others spot those little details as well! Nice interpretation of the theme.